Description
C2TW Listen to Article adds a simple “Read this Article” button above your posts. Visitors can listen to the article using their own browser’s built-in speech engine.
Perfect for Hindi news sites, English blogs, and mixed-language content.
Why this plugin?
- Zero cost – No external TTS API, no server load, no audio files stored.
- Privacy-friendly – Speech runs only in the visitor’s browser.
- Hindi + English – Auto-detects Devanagari (Hindi) vs Latin (English) and selects a matching voice.
- Gender preference – Prefer female or male voice when available on the device.
- Lightweight – Tiny CSS/JS, loaded only on relevant single posts.
- Mobile & desktop – Works wherever the browser supports the SpeechSynthesis API.
Features
- Auto-insert button above post content (optional)
- Shortcode:
[c2tw_listen]or[c2tw_listen text="इस लेख को सुनें"] - Pause / Resume / Stop controls
- Reading speed (0.8x – 1.5x)
- Prefer female, prefer male, or auto voice
- Choose which post types show the button
- Strips ads, scripts, forms, and common non-article elements before reading
How it works
- Detects a single post (or uses the shortcode).
- Collects title + cleaned article text (HTML, ads, shortcodes stripped in the browser).
- Detects Hindi or English from the text.
- Uses the browser SpeechSynthesis API with an appropriate voice.
- Starts reading; visitor can pause, resume, stop, or change speed.
Voice quality and available languages depend on the visitor’s device and browser (Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox, and most Android browsers are supported).
Shortcode
[c2tw_listen]
[c2tw_listen text="Read this News"]
[c2tw_listen text="इस समाचार को सुनें"]
Built by Come2theweb
Problem-solving WordPress developers: https://come2theweb.com
If this free plugin helps your site, please consider a donation via PayPal.
Installation
- Upload the
c2tw-listen-to-articlefolder to the/wp-content/plugins/directory, or install the zip via Plugins Add New Upload Plugin. - Activate the plugin through the Plugins menu.
- Go to Settings Listen to Article to configure button text, voice gender preference, and post types.
- The button appears automatically above posts (or use the shortcode).
FAQ
-
Does it cost money or need an API key?
-
No. It uses the free browser SpeechSynthesis API. Nothing is sent to any server for speech.
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Will Hindi be read correctly?
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If the visitor’s device/browser has a Hindi voice installed (common on Android and many desktop systems), yes. The plugin detects Hindi text and requests
hi-IN. Availability is controlled by the OS/browser, not by this plugin. -
Can I force a female voice only?
-
In Settings Listen to Article choose Prefer female. The plugin will select a female-sounding voice when one is available for that language. If none is available, it falls back to the best matching language voice.
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Does it work on mobile?
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Yes, on browsers that support SpeechSynthesis (Chrome on Android, Safari on iOS, Samsung Internet, etc.). Some mobile browsers may offer fewer voices.
-
Yes. Disable auto-add in settings and use the shortcode
[c2tw_listen]anywhere in the content. -
Does it store any data?
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Only the settings you choose in the admin (button text, gender preference, post types). No visitor data is stored by the plugin.
Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
Contributors & Developers
“C2TW Listen to Article” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
Translate “C2TW Listen to Article” into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
1.0.0
- Initial release.
- Auto button on posts, shortcode support.
- Hindi / English language detection.
- Prefer female / male / auto voice.
- Pause, Resume, Stop, and speed controls.
- Settings page and PayPal donate link.